Handwashing 101

This week is National Handwashing Awareness Week and we’re here to give you some helpful tips for your family stay healthy throughout this holiday season. As we enter the start of a new flu season during an ongoing pandemic, it's more important now than ever for your children to have healthy hand hygiene to fight the spread of harmful illnesses.

Follow these steps to help your child become an expert hand washer!

1. Prep – Thoroughly wet your hands with either cold or warm clean water.
2. Lather – Once soap is applied to the hands, rub your hands together to create a nice soapy lather on the fronts and backs of hands, as well as in between all fingers.
3. Scrub – Now for the fun part! Scrub your hands together for at least 20 seconds, to help pass the time you can even sing Happy Birthday twice or the ABC’s. During this step, make sure to also cleanse underneath the fingernails as many germs can get trapped there.
4. Rinse – Wash off your hands under running water.
5. Dry – Thoroughly dry the hands with a clean towel, air drying works just as well!

 

When is it necessary to wash your hands?

• Before making food or beverages for yourself or someone else
• Before eating a meal and after
• Before feeding a child
• After using the restroom
• After helping your children in the restroom or changing a diaper
• Before caring for someone with an illness and after
• Before touching your eyes (such as when putting in contacts)
• After sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose
• After touching animals
• After handling trash

 

Due to COVID-19 you should also wash your hands in the following instances:

• After touching a commonly used surface such as a door handle or elevator button
• Before touching your mouth, nose or eyes and after
• Before handling your mask and after
• Before arriving to a pubic area and after leaving

 

Why it matters.

Sure, handwashing is a simple task, but you want to ensure that it’s done correctly in order to get rid of all those dangerous germs picked up throughout the day. The CDC considers handwashing as one of the best methods to protect yourself and others from illness, especially at a time like now. Handwashing is such an important practice for the whole household and picking up this habit as a family also sets a good example for your kids to prioritize great hand hygiene every day!